Chapter 168 - 167: No One is Fated?

Inside the study of the Red Lotus Cave Mansion.

The group from the Qiu Yue Kingdom stared intently at the decorative sword hanging on the wall, their faces a mixture of fear, excitement, and awe.

"Young Master Zheng, this sword is terrifying!"

The withered man said, his hand clutching the Bone Bow, his heart still pounding with lingering fear.

Even with Dongmen Lin’s strength as the number one expert on the Human List, he had only managed to draw the sword half an inch from its scabbard, and that was with his full power.

The oppressive Sword Light radiating from just that half-inch of exposed blade was enough to suffocate them.

A single, minuscule wisp of Sword Qi that branched off had caused Dongmen Lin’s entire arm to vaporize into nothing.

If that Sword Light had struck them in its entirety...

...everyone in the study would have likely been reduced to ashes.

"This Red Lotus Sword was Red Lotus Martial Venerable’s personal weapon in his early years. It is Spiritual and cannot be drawn by force."

Zheng Wei’s eyes gleamed as he spoke in a low voice.

Everything else left in this entire cave mansion was either a leftover scrap or broken junk.

Only this Red Lotus Sword possessed a power and grade beyond imagination, as if it had been left here intentionally.

Zheng Wei suspected this sword was connected to the Martial Venerable’s inheritance and secrets.

’What a powerful Divine Soldier! It’s already achieved Spirit Communication...’

Luo Tian remained hidden in a shadowy corner twenty meters away.

When the Red Lotus Sword had been drawn by half an inch,

the Wind and Snow Sword on Luo Tian’s back had let out a faint hum, as if bowing to a king.

"Young Master Zheng, do you have a way to obtain this sword?"

The woman in pink asked, her alluring eyes glinting.

"A Treasure Sword has a spirit. It can only be sensed with the heart. Only one with destiny can possess it."

Zheng Wei smiled, a hint of confidence on his face.

He had discovered the Red Lotus Cave Mansion thanks to a Treasure Map, which was clearly a sign of some destiny.

Zheng Wei strode forward and stopped before the Red Lotus Sword.

Unlike Dongmen Lin, he didn’t try to draw it by force.

Zheng Wei closed his eyes and placed his hand on the hilt. His movements were gentle, as if caressing an exquisite beauty.

"Venerable Red Lotus Sword, if we join forces, we can roam the world, meet every Martial Artist, and slay all evil and filth."

Zheng Wei murmured softly, attempting to communicate with it telepathically.

However,

the Red Lotus Sword remained deathly still. The hilt wouldn’t budge.

’No reaction?’

Zheng Wei opened his eyes, finding it hard to believe.

"Venerable Red Lotus Sword, I am the son of a Prince of the kingdom! If you follow me, you can enjoy all the power, glory, and wealth the world has to offer! Delicacies, peerless beauties—you can have your pick of them all."

Zheng Wei took a deep breath, trying to entice it with promises of gain.

ZING!

The Red Lotus Sword let out a clear, ringing hum, as if displeased. A ripple of lotus-patterned Sword Qi bloomed on the surface of its scabbard, exuding a dangerous aura.

Startled, Zheng Wei quickly pulled his hand back.

’Is there some way I don’t meet this sword’s criteria for choosing a master?’

Zheng Wei’s expression darkened, filled with resentment and indignation.

This Red Lotus Sword had been left here by Red Lotus Martial Venerable, likely awaiting a destined person who met its conditions.

"You guys try as well."

Zheng Wei said with a wave of his hand.

The woman in pink and the withered man both stepped forward to try sensing it.

Without exception, the Red Lotus Sword showed no reaction whatsoever.

Having lost an arm, Dongmen Lin was psychologically scarred and didn’t dare touch the sword again.

’None of us are the one? Could it be that ice beauty from the Azure Cloud Kingdom?’

Zheng Wei frowned.

Xia Bingyue’s attainments in the Sword Dao were extremely high, and she had even comprehended a sliver of True Sword Dao Intent.

Zheng Wei analyzed that even if she couldn’t take the Red Lotus Sword, she was the one with the highest hope of succeeding.

"Young Master Zheng."

The withered man lowered his voice and opened his palm. The chubby green insect was holding some white fragments, trembling with excitement.

Seeing this,

a sharp glint flashed in Zheng Wei’s eyes, and the corners of his mouth curved into a playful, surprised smile.

"Split up and search. See if you can find anything else."

Zheng Wei announced loudly.

Immediately,

the trio of Zheng Wei, the woman in pink, and the withered man began searching the nearby halls.

As for Dongmen Lin, he sat cross-legged in the study, healing his injuries.

Luo Tian stood in his shadowy corner, a look of doubt on his face. He felt there was something strange about them splitting up.

However,

Luo Tian’s heart pounded at the sight of an Ancient Divine Soldier like the Red Lotus Sword.

What male Martial Artist didn’t dream of possessing a Supreme Divine Soldier?

Moreover, this Red Lotus Sword was left by a Martial Venerable and was very likely related to his inheritance.

The problem now was,

Dongmen Lin was healing in the study, but he was also essentially guarding the sword.

With Luo Tian’s current strength, he could have confidently defeated Dongmen Lin in a direct confrontation even at his peak, let alone now that he was missing an arm.

The difficult part was,

he had to take care of Dongmen Lin without alerting the others.

’This risk is worth taking.’

Luo Tian’s eyes flickered, and he took out the Black Whip.

Dongmen Lin had lost an arm. His injuries were definitely not light, and he had to devote his energy to healing.

At this moment,

the two were separated by the study’s doorway, a distance of over twenty meters.

Luo Tian was in a shadowy corner, concealed.

Dongmen Lin sat cross-legged in the center of the study, bathed in the soft glow of the Luminous Pearls.

One was in the light, the other in the dark.

BUZZ!

Luo Tian poured his Spiritual Power and Divine Vein Power into the whip. It suddenly pulsed with a layer of dark light patterns as it extended.

SWOOSH!

Like a shadowy serpent, the whip shot toward Dongmen Lin, its massive Crescent Hook at the tip aimed straight for his body.

In an instant,

the Invisibility effect Luo Tian was maintaining broke.

"Hm?"

Dongmen Lin became alert. He caught sight of the shadowy, serpent-like Black Whip and its hook just as they were about to reach him.

The hairs on his body stood on end, and he was thoroughly terrified.

A silver gleam flashed around Dongmen Lin’s body as he instinctively leaned to the side, trying to dodge the hook.

However,

the moment his body moved, it aggravated his injury.

A searing pain shot from the charred stump of his severed arm.

The wound left by the Red Lotus Sword was not so simple.

At this moment,

both Dongmen Lin’s reaction speed and his physical movements were several degrees slower than usual.

THWACK!

The Black Whip’s huge hook struck Dongmen Lin’s body with unerring accuracy.

"Get off me!"

A layer of silver qi waves erupted from Dongmen Lin’s body, but it had little effect on the hooked whip.

It was like a Soul-Locking Hook from the Netherworld!

It was difficult to interfere with it on a physical level.

Dongmen Lin tried to cry out in alarm.

"Nngh..."

The hook locked down the qi and blood throughout his body, even sealing his consciousness.

The next instant,

Dongmen Lin was dragged into the shadowy corner outside the study.

"It’s you... Luo Tian..."

Dongmen Lin’s face was filled with horror, his heart with resentment, humiliation, and unwillingness to accept his fate.

He, the magnificent number one on the Qiu Yue Kingdom’s Human List, had actually been ambushed and captured alive by Luo Tian with this bizarre weapon.

’If I hadn’t been injured, Luo Tian might not have succeeded so easily.’

"When you started slaughtering the geniuses of the Azure Cloud Kingdom, you should have been prepared to be killed in return."

Luo Tian sneered, showing no mercy.

CRACK!

He reached out and crushed Dongmen Lin’s throat, then hid the body in the nearby vegetation.

Thus, a top prodigy, the leader of the Human List, died such a pathetic death.

Luo Tian couldn’t help but marvel that the Shadow Cloak, paired with this Black Whip, was the perfect combination for ambushing and killing.

Even after Dongmen Lin was dead,

Zheng Wei and the others, who were within a hundred-meter radius, remained completely unaware.

SWISH!

Using the Shadow Cloak, Luo Tian entered the study like a phantom.

"The Red Lotus Sword!"

Luo Tian gazed at the Supreme Divine Soldier, now so close, his heart burning with anticipation.

He reached out and grasped the hilt, feeling a scorching aura.

Luo Tian’s Spiritual Sense merged with the Red Lotus Sword, and he released the sliver of True Sword Dao Intent he had comprehended.

ZING!

The fluctuation from this sliver of Sword Intent Fur caused the Red Lotus Sword to resonate faintly, letting out a hum.

A look of delight appeared on Luo Tian’s face.

’It seems that comprehending a sliver of the True Intent of the Sword Dao increases my chances of being acknowledged by this sword.’

But,

after humming once, the Red Lotus Sword fell silent again, giving no further reaction.

’With my aptitude, plus the fact I’ve comprehended Sword Intent Fur, I still don’t meet the sword’s criteria for a master?’

Luo Tian was greatly surprised.

’Or am I simply not fated to have this sword?’

"Celestial Book, perform an Inference on the conditions to become the Red Lotus Sword’s master."

Luo Tian’s consciousness sank into his mind.

This kind of Inference wasn’t just baseless speculation.

From the moment he entered the Red Lotus Cave Mansion until now, Luo Tian had gathered a great deal of information and clues.

Moreover,

his hand was currently gripping the Red Lotus Sword itself.

All of this provided the Celestial Book with more evidence and a medium to work with, greatly reducing the difficulty of the Inference.

"A blood descendant of Red Lotus Martial Venerable can gain the Red Lotus Sword’s acknowledgment."

"An exceptional genius with a Flame Sun Attribute Martial Vein, physique, or Cultivation Technique who has also comprehended True Intent Fur has a chance to obtain the Red Lotus Sword."

The Celestial Book consumed over ten pages of its power and provided the answer.

"So that’s how it is!"

Luo Tian came to a sudden realization and let out a long sigh.

This Red Lotus Sword was likely truly connected to the Red Lotus Martial Venerable’s legacy.

However,

this opportunity was only for Red Lotus Martial Venerable’s own descendants, or for a destined genius who was an extremely good match for his inheritance.

Luo Tian’s aptitude was certainly sufficient.

However, the attributes of his Martial Vein and Cultivation Technique did not match the inheritance of "Red Lotus Martial Venerable."

It wasn’t just Luo Tian who wasn’t a match.

Even if Xia Bingyue were here, the situation would be much the same. Her Cultivation Technique leaned toward the ice and snow attribute.

One could say,

no one who entered the Red Lotus Cave Mansion was fated to have the Red Lotus Sword.

Barring any surprises,

this Red Lotus Sword would lie quietly in the cave mansion, waiting for a future moment when a master who was a true match for it would appear.

And yet, a trace of unwillingness showed on Luo Tian’s face.